Earlier this week Beyonce premiered the video for her latest single “Run the World (Girls)” on American Idol.  The song asks the rhetorical question “Who runs the world?” with the bold response being GIRLS.

At The Women’s Foundation, that message is part of what drives our work.  Empowered girls become empowered women.  Empowered women uplift themselves, their families, and their community.  And the outcomes of girls who are not given the opportunity to reach their potential are disheartening.

Research from our recent report 2010 Portrait of Women & Girls in the Washington Metropolitan Area shows that girls in the metro area who do not earn a high school diploma will potentially earn three times less than women with a graduate or professional degree.  That’s why we work with amazing Grantee Partners like Community Bridges, Crittenton Services, Beacon House, and The Campagna Center, among many others.  These organizations focus on providing girls with role models, mentors and opportunities to overcome their circumstances.

Our hope is that the girls of the Washington metropolitan area will be able to fend for themselves on the figurative battlefield presented in Beyonce’s video.  Rather than a post-apocalyptic world, we want DC-area girls to be able to stand their ground professionally, socially and personally.

So Beyonce, I say thank you for this song and its powerful message.  You should come to our Annual Leadership Luncheon on October 19^th and experience our truly inspiring, vibrant gathering of women and men from all corners of the community.

Lena Peterson is the Development Associate at Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

Recently, I attended a fundraiser for FAIR Fund, a Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner.  The event was appropriately called “Pearls of Purpose.”  FAIR Fund’s mission is to stop the human trafficking of woman and children and help with their recovery.  Also featured at the event was an auction of custom made jewelry by the young women  who were recovering from this type of abuse (I picked up a cute bracelet).

Human trafficking is an epidemic and until recently I was unaware of how wide spread the problem actually is.  At “Pearls of Purpose,” there was a young woman named Biljana who bravely stood up and told her story.  It was a story of tragedy that began when she was sold at the age of 11; now that she’s in her 20s, her story has turned into one of triumph with the help of FAIR Fund.  It was a humbling experience to stand before her and listen to what she endured to now be able to encourage other young women who maybe have a similar background.  What I learned from this is that you never know the stories of other people.  There she was before being called to stage, dressed in a lovely black cocktail dress.  At times we passed each other and greeted each other with a smile.  Me, not knowing the story of this powerful young woman.  It made me wonder how many times we have all met or came in contact with a “Biljana.”

We may go about our day sometimes oblivious to the atrocities that others face; sometimes they’re the people that are standing right next to us.  FAIR Fund reminded me of how important it is to be brave and speak for victims.  Sometimes dark secrets in our communities remain hidden until someone is brave enough to speak up and shed light on them.  Sometimes it just takes one person to step up and speak for victims who can’t speak for themselves.

It wasn’t until I reached out to Washington Area Women’s Foundation and received the report Portrait Project 2010 (which highlighted some of the grim statistics that women face, from poverty, to education, and housing) that I was aware of the challenges faced by women and girls throughout our community.  Now, I have the opportunity to raise my voice and raise awareness about these issues.  I do believe that change starts with one person — it might as well be me and you.

Tiffany Parker is Ms. Maryland 2011.  She has partnered with Washington Area Women’s Foundation to raise awareness of the issues faced by women and girls during her reigning yea

Homeownership is a topic much in the news these days, but not always for good reasons. Increasing the homeownership rate has been a goal of U.S. housing policy since after World War II.  Homeowners have been seen as contributing to stable communities, and buying homes that appreciate in value has been one of the ways that many Americans have accumulated wealth and ensured themselves of a secure retirement.  The Women’s Foundation has included promoting sustainable homeownership as one of the tools for helping women-headed families achieve economic success.

The national homeownership rate remained stuck at a little over 60 percent for decades, until the housing boom that started in the late 1990s.  New homebuyers flooded the market and lenders competed with each other to make more and bigger mortgages.  Unfortunately, as we now know, much of this lending was ill-advised and unsustainable.  Risky subprime loans were promoted to borrowers who could not afford rising monthly payments.  The over-inflated housing bubble eventually burst, dragging down the rest of the economy with it.  In the aftermath, a rising tide of mortgage foreclosures has eroded the homeownership and wealth gains of the decade, leaving many families and communities vulnerable.

Where does this leave women homeowners in our region today?  At the 6^th annual Stepping Stones Research Briefing, being held on Friday, May 20^th at the Urban Institute, I will present the latest data on women homeowners in the Washington region and what changes we have seen in this group over the past decade.  What kinds of women are homeowners, and how do their characteristics compare with homebuyers overall?  Did women homeowners gain or lose ground during the recent housing boom and bust?

My co-panelists will examine other aspects of the national and regional housing situation, including who is being affected by foreclosures and the adequacy of local funding for affordable rental housing.  We hope that many of you will be able to join us for this timely and important discussion.

Registration for the research briefing has ended.  If you did not get an opportunity to register, please join us on Twitter.  We’re @thewomensfndtn and will be using the hashtag #SSRB starting at 9am on Friday, May 20th.

Peter Tatian is a senior research associate at The Urban Institute.

The latest news, analysis and opinion on the state of low-income women and their families from Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. For the week ending 5/6/2011: Why one columnist says Congress needs to allow states to decide how to enhance maternal and child health.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty. Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

•    The Roanoke Times reports that after nearly a century of serving homeless women and their children, the YWCA of Roanoke Valley will be closing at the end of June 2011 and merging its programs with DePaul Community Resources.

•    Ana Veciana-Suarez writes in a Miami Herald editorial that “the separation of marriage from parenting” has led to an increase in single-parent families—living in which means children are five times more likely to live below the poverty line and more likely to engage in substance abuse.

•   Michael Fraser argues in the Des Moines Register that Congress should continue to provide Title V grants to states based on the number of children living in poverty and allow the states to decide the best way to enhance maternal and child health.

•   This week, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels pledged to sign a bill barring federal funds from the Medicaid Act, which pays for health services for low-income women, from the flowing through the state government to health clinics that provide abortions, according to the Chicago Tribune.

To learn more about Spotlight visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org

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The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity team